On April 22, Beijing time, the Timberwolves ushered in a humiliating battle in team history! With a 26-point lead and a 20+ lead in the first and second halves, the Timberwolves collapsed in the final quarter and eventually lost to the Grizzlies 95-104, and the big score was reversed 1-2. Especially at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves were once beaten 21-0 by their opponents. However, at this stage, coach Finch seems to have forgotten to call a timeout and watched the team collapse. After the game, timberwolves home fans were all confused.
Statistically, in the past 25 years, when a team leads 25+ in the playoffs, the record is 380 wins and 8 losses. The Timberwolves became the ninth team to lose. In addition, the Timberwolves also set a 76-year humiliating record, becoming the team with the most home losses in the final quarter of NBA playoff history, and they lost 25 points 12-37 in the final quarter!
In the final moments of the game, the Timberwolves' defeat was decided. The fans who were extremely excited in the first three quarters were already lost at this time. The warm atmosphere of the scene is long gone, replaced by a terrible dead silence. After the game, many Timberwolves fans did not want to leave for a long time, they could not believe what they saw, some people kept shaking their heads, others ate their fingers, and looked sluggish. They can accept defeat, but they can't accept such an unjustified loss.
For Timberwolves coach Finch, he is arguably one of the biggest sinners the team has lost. After the game, Finch explained that he did not call a timeout because he had called too many timeouts before, hoping to leave more timeouts for the fourth quarter. But when the team was blasted 16-0 in the fourth quarter, Finch didn't call a timeout either. In addition, Towns made four shots in the whole game, as the number one star in the team, such a performance was too soft.
There was also a very interesting scene off the court, where Barkley, who participated in the TNT commentary in this game, predicted the Timberwolves to win before the game. In the second quarter, the Timberwolves led by 26 points at 47-21, and Barkley opened his mouth and laughed. At the end of the final game, the Timberwolves were reversed 95-104, and Barkley's face was green, and he couldn't believe what was happening. Barkley also lashed out at the Timberwolves: Such a failure is embarrassing. I have to sigh, Buckley is really too crow mouth.